Skip to main content

The Blackbyrds - The Baby


There's a blizzard raging outside. I'm down in my basement thumbing through a stack of vinyl I've been neglecting for months. What am I in the mood for? Aha! Here it is. The Blackbyrds second record.

When jazz great, Donald Byrd, was head of Howard University's Department of Jazz Studies in the early 70s, he put together a collective of six gifted musicians and gave them flight as The Blackbyrds. Their second record, Flying Start, is loaded with jazz-funk grooves (some awesome drum breaks), Grant Green-esque lead guitar and a fair share of Kevin Toney's ARP synthesizer. The latter is what I dig the most. On this track, The Baby, Toney doubles up the synth with Joe Hall's bass to create a fat groove. For the entirety of the song, this bass/drum combination continues relentlessly, providing a perfect foundation for guitar, flute and synth pads. This is jazz-fusion at its finest. Very listenable, not too smooth and funky as hell. The perfect sound for enduring the bombogenesis that is piling up snow outside. Before you dig out, you just need to dig this!

Comments

Post a Comment

Trending Tracks

TootArd - Musiqa

TootArd are a band from the Golan Heights. Since 1967, this area has been a part of Israel. However, the inhabitants are denied citizenship. Their first album is Laissez Passer . “Laissez passers are special situation papers,” explains singer and guitarist Hasan Nakhleh. “It took us a while to realise the effect. We’re permanent residents in Israel, but not citizens. We have no travel documents. When we travel we need the laissez passer. With no nationality, we’re officially ‘undefined.’” TootArd's sound reflects this undefined status. They combine the desert blues rock of Northern Africa with reggae and various Middle Eastern styles, creating a powerful, grooving sound. If you're a fan of Tuareg groups like Tinariwen ,  Bombino or Tamikrest , you will instantly love TootArd . Try their tune Musiqa for starters. Head here to sample other tracks from their debut.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Wild Swans - The Worst Year Of My Life

Here's the perfect song to commemorate the approaching conclusion of 2017. "You were born hungry And you'll die angry And if life has failed you Leave the cross you're nailed to You belong to no one And you owe nothing There's no golden future Just an open wound there Oh lord, this is the worst year of my life" Paul Simpson's despondent baritone can almost pass for Morrissey's throughout much of The Wild Swans' 1988 album, Bringing Home the Ashes . Fans of The Smiths and fellow Liverpudlians, Echo and the Bunnymen , will hear aspects of both groups in the shimmering alt-pop of the Swans. In fact, Pete De Freitas  (Echo & the Bunnymen drummer) produced the album's first single,  Young Manhood . Like The Mighty Lemon Drops and The Teardrop Explodes (whom Simpson left in 1980), The Wild Swans were a second-tier British indie pop group that never quite broke through in the States. The band was featured on two widely distributed Sire...
Post a Comment
Read more